Raspberry plant cv. `Godiva`

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of yellow raspberry plant named `Godiva`, which is particularly characterized and distinguished by its fruit of excellent flavor and yellow color and its high yielding capacity on both primocane and floricane crops.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of raspberry plantthat has been given the cultivar name or denomination `Godiva`. The newcultivar was developed from hydridization of the selection C96.7 (anunpatented proprietary cultivar) as the seed parent with the selectionF167.1 (an unpatented proprietary cultivar) as the pollen parent. Theparents were crossed by Carlos Fear in June 1989, whereafter fruit andseed were collected to produce seedlings for field planting inWatsonville, Calif. in January 1990. The new cultivar was selected fromthese seedlings by Carlos Fear in October 1990 for its distinguishingfruit firmness, good flavor and distinguishing yellow color. Since itsselection, the `Godiva` cultivar has been asexually propagated by invitro shoot tip culture, root sucker division and root cuttings, and hasbeen shown to maintain the desired and distinguishing characteristicsafter propagation over several generations.

`Godiva`, a yellow raspberry, produces a primocane crop which begins inAugust and continues until early November. The floricane crop begins inabout mid May and continues until about July. Both the primocane andfloricane yields (about 5.9 to 8.6 T/acre and about 8.6 to 12.5 T/acre,respectively) are high relative to other comparable cultivars. The fruitof the `Godiva` raspberry plant is medium to large in size and remainsconsistently so throughout its harvest period. The fruit of `Godiva` isnormally light yellow in color when harvested but attains a deeperyellow color after harvest or when fully mature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a color photograph of a `Godiva` primocane mature leaf andfruiting shoot, showing various stages of fruit development.

FIG. 2 is a color photograph of a `Godiva` primocane shoot.

FIG. 3 is an interpretative drawing showing the cultivar bandingpatterns for the enzymes, MDH (malate dehydrogenase), PGI(Phosphoglucoisomerase) and PGM (phosphoglucomutase).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small lettersignify that the name of the color, as used in common speech, is aptlydescriptive. Color names beginning with a capital letter designate colorvalues based on the R.H.S. Colour Chart published by The RoyalHorticultural Society of London, England.

The following description is a detailed description of the `Godiva`raspberry cultivar and the fruit produced thereaby, as grown inWatsonville, Calif. between 1991 and 1994, and is believed to apply toplants of the `Godiva` cultivar grown in similar conditions of soil andclimate elsewhere.

The `Godiva` fruit exhibits a light yellow color at harvest, but darkensafter harvest to a deeper yellow. The fruit of the `Godiva` plant isaverage in its ease of separation and of above average firmness atharvest. Post harvest fruit rot resistance is above average incomparison with many selections and cultivars.

The `Godiva` cultivar has good resistance to late leaf rust. Resistanceto powdery mildew and root rots is unknown. Cold tolerance of the newcultivar has not been established.

The new cultivar is particularly characterized and distinguished fromother yellow fruited cultivars by its high yielding capacity on bothprimocane and floricane crops, and its excellent flavor. The `Godiva`cultivar also has greater firmness than most other yellow fruitedcultivars.

`Godiva` is distinguished from its seed parent, selection C96.7, byhaving greater firmness, a better flavor balance and higher yields. Thenew cultivar is distinguished from its pollen parent, selection F167.1,by having a higher yielding capacity.

Tables 1 and 2 present morphological information about the new `Godiva`raspberry cultivar.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        PLANT CHARACTERISTICS OF `Godiva`                                             ______________________________________                                        General                                                                       Plant size:           large                                                   Growth habit:         upright; erect                                          Density of foliage:   medium                                                  Productivity:         productive                                              Self fruitfulness:    self fruitful                                           Primocane fruiting:                                                           percent of cane length                                                                              about 30%                                               flowering as primocane:                                                       percent of total yield                                                                              about 30-45%                                            from primocane crop:                                                          Suckering tendency:   medium                                                  Utility of fruit:     fresh market                                                                  shipping                                                Canes                                                                         Primocanes                                                                    Number of fruiting laterals/cane:                                                                   about 13-20                                             Number of canes/crown:                                                                              medium/about 4-15                                       Young shoot pigmentation:                                                                           not present                                             Length:               about 69-87"                                            Diameter (end of 1st year):                                                   cane base:            about 0.44-0.66"                                        central 1/3 of cane:  about 0.41-0.56"                                        Depressions in cross section:                                                                       absent                                                  Prickles:                                                                     pigmentation:         lightly pigmented                                       density on young shoots:                                                                            medium                                                  attitude of tip:      downward                                                size:                 small                                                   texture:              heavy                                                   presence and          uniformly                                                                     distributed                                             Pubescence on canes:  present                                                 Internodal distance   about 1.3-2.3"                                          (at central 1/3  of cane):                                                    Lenticels:            not visually                                                                  detectable                                              Floricanes                                                                    Length:               about 40-70"                                            Number nodes/lateral branch                                                                         about 7-13                                              (at mid cane):                                                                Number of flowers/node                                                                              about 1-3                                               (at 4th node from apex                                                        on a mid cane lateral):                                                       Leaves                                                                        Arrangement:          compound                                                Relief between veins: medium                                                  Leaflet number:       3-5, usually 5                                          Terminal leaflet:                                                             length:               about 3.9-5.9"                                          width:                about 2.9-4.9"                                          shape:                ; often lobed                                           tip:                  acute to acuminate                                      base:                 cordate                                                 margin:               doubly serrate                                          Lateral leaflets (basal pair):                                                overlap:              overlapping                                             orientation:          opposite                                                shape:                oblique                                                 tip:                  acute                                                   base:                 oblique                                                 margin:               doubly serrate                                          length:               about 3.7-4.3"                                          width:                about 2.6-3.3"                                          Rachis length between about 0.68-1.8"                                         terminal leaflet and                                                          adjacent lateral leaflets:                                                    Color:                                                                        face:                 Green 137A                                              underside:            Green 191A                                              Petiole:                                                                      length:               about 2.9-5.4"                                          pigmentation of upper surface:                                                                      absent                                                  pigmentation of underside:                                                                          absent                                                  Stipule orientation:  erect                                                   Flowers                                                                       Flowering period:                                                             primocane:            early July to                                                                 mid September                                           floricane:            late March to                                                                 early June                                              Petal:                                                                        color:                White 155B                                              length:               about 0.18-0.25"                                        width:                0.09-0.13"                                              number:               5                                                       arrangement:          free                                                    Pedicel coloration:   absent                                                  ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                        FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS OF `Godiva`                                             ______________________________________                                        Fruit                                                                         Harvest season:                                                               primocane:            begins early to mid                                                           August; ends early                                                            November                                                floricane:            begins mid May;                                                               ends early July                                         Color:                                                                        immature:             Yellow 10C-10D                                          maturing:             Yellow-Orange                                                                 16B-16C                                                 mature:               Yellow-Orange 21D                                       Dimensions:                                                                   weight:                                                                              primocane harvest                                                                            about 2.2-4.0 g                                                               (3.1 g mean)                                                   floricane harvest:                                                                           about 2.3-4.1 g                                                               (3.1 g mean)                                            length (primocane):   about 0.62-0.78"                                        width (primocane):    about 0.56-0.75"                                        Soluble solids (%):   about 11.4%                                             Titratable acidity    about 2.0%                                              (% as citric acid):                                                           Seeds (weight):       about 1.4 mg                                            Number drupelets/fruit:                                                                             about 38-78                                                                   (57 mean)                                               ______________________________________                                    

In addition to the foregoing morphological description, and to providefurther means for identifying the new cultivar and distinguishing itfrom some other somewhat similar and/or related raspberry cultivars, thenew `Godiva` cultivar has been analyzed to obtain an indication of itsgenetic makeup. Specifically, leaves of the `Godiva`, `Hollins` (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 8,027), `Summit` (unpatented), `Isabel` (U.S. Plantpatent applied for), `Sweetbriar` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,486), `JoeMello` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,493) and `Wilhelm` (U.S. Plant patentapplied for) cultivars were electrophoretically analyzed, the patternsdesignated and procedures utilized being per those described by J. C.Cousineau and D. J. Donnelly, "Use of Isoenzyme Analysis to CharacterizeRaspberry Cultivars and Detect Cultivar Mislabeling," HortScience, vol.27 (9):1023-1025 (1992). The results of the electrophoreses analysis arepresented in Table 3 below, the letters representing the cultivarbanding patterns for each enzyme as shown in FIG. 3, taken from theabove article.

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                        ISOZYME BANDING PATTERNS OF                                                   `Godiva` COMPARED WITH                                                        `Hollins`, `Summit`, `Isabel`,                                                `Sweetbriar`, `Joe Mello` AND `Wilheim`                                                 Isozyme                                                             Cultivar    PGI         MDH     PGM                                           ______________________________________                                        `Godiva`    B           A       D                                             `Hollins`   D           E       D                                             `Summit`    A           C       B                                             `Isabel`    A           E       C                                             `Sweetbriar`                                                                              D           D       A                                             `Joe Mello` D           E       C                                             `Wilhelm`   D           A       C                                             ______________________________________                                    

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of raspberry plant named`Godiva` as herein illustrated and described.